European leaders expected to grant Brexit delay

Donald Tusk tells Boris Johnson he has recommended that the EU27 accept request for extension

Boris Johnson will be left waiting for the EU’s terms for a further Brexit extension until Friday, with signs of momentum building behind Donald Tusk’s plan for a delay up to 31 January.

The French government has privately voiced its concerns about taking the pressure off MPs to vote for the deal, which they believe could be ratified in 15 days, but EU sources said the bloc was seeking a “solution that works for all” and avoids a no deal exit.

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Relief for Windrush sisters as removal threat overturned

Bumi Thomas, whose sister got citizenship, wins appeal against removal from UK

Two Windrush sisters who describe themselves as inseparable are celebrating after a judge ruled that one of them should not be sent back to Nigeria.

Bumi Thomas, 36, was at risk of removal from the UK and at one point was given 14 days to leave, while her sister Kemi, 38, was not because of their different dates of birth.

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Brexit: Johnson and Corbyn meet but can’t agree timetable for bill – live news

Prime minister will have to decide whether to carry through with call for election if EU offers lengthy extension

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has criticised the abuse directed at the 19 Labour MPs who voted to support the WAB’s second reading on Tuesday.

As reported earlier, Lisa Nandy MP tweeted emails sent to her labelling her “scum”.

Morning! pic.twitter.com/MJOtjDY2u9

Adam Bienkov, UK Political Editor of Business Insider, tweets an exchange he had with the prime minister’s spokesman when attempting to ask why Boris Johnson has insisted that there won’t be checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, even though his own impact assessment states that there will.

. https://t.co/NKeFRum2Dn

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Shop owner jailed after insurance claim attempt causes ‘colossal’ blast

Explosion at Pascal Blasio’s furniture shop in Wirral injured 81 people and destroyed or damaged 63 properties

A furniture shop owner has been jailed for 20 years for causing a “colossal” explosion which injured 81 people in an attempt to claim insurance.

Pascal Blasio, 57, of Gillingham in Kent, caused the blast at his furniture store in New Ferry, Wirral, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

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Two-thirds of British people see overseas aid as ‘a major priority’

Survey of EU citizens reveals overwhelming belief in importance of helping people in poorer countries

The British public remains firmly behind efforts to support people in poorer countries, with almost two-thirds of people canvassed in a survey of EU citizens believing that maintaining overseas aid at its current level should be “a major priority”.

The results from Eurobarometer, the EU’s polling organisation, also found that almost 90% of people thought helping people in developing countries should be a priority of the EU and national governments.

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Johnson and Corbyn fail to agree timetable for ‘paused’ Brexit bill

PM and Labour leader meet but do not agree way forward for withdrawal agreement bill

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn have failed to agree a timetable for pressing ahead with the “paused” Brexit bill.

Despite the prime minister’s threat on Tuesday to pull the withdrawal agreement bill (Wab) and press for a general election if MPs rejected his fast-track timetable for approving the legislation, Downing Street confirmed the pair had met on Wednesday.

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Refugee age rows having ‘devastating’ impact on children

UNHCR says children arriving in UK whose age is disputed likely to be denied services

Age disputes are having a “devastating impact” on unaccompanied and separated refugee or asylum seeker children arriving in the UK, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned.

Evidence from an assessment conducted by the UNHCR found disputes over a refugee or asylum seeker’s age impeded and delayed access to services and environments that can assist integration.

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MPs reject Boris Johnson’s attempt to fast-track Brexit deal

PM fails to restrict scrutiny of bill to just three days in effort to meet 31 October deadline

Boris Johnson’s plan to fast-track his Brexit deal through parliament in time for next week’s 31 October deadline was blocked by MPs on Tuesday night, even after he threatened to pull it and press for a general election.

The prime minister said he would speak to EU leaders and urge them not to agree to a prolonged Brexit extension after former Tory cabinet ministers Philip Hammond and Rory Stewart joined with Labour to inflict a humiliating defeat on the government.

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Royal experts question wisdom of Harry and Meghan documentary

Couple’s interview about impact of press intrusion could ‘just feed media machine’

The decision by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to agree to a highly emotional TV interview about their treatment at the hands of the press could open them up to further damaging headlines, according to PR experts and royal watchers.

In the ITV documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Harry appeared to give credence to long-standing rumours of a rift with William when he admitted the brothers had “good days and bad days” and that they were following different paths.

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Brexit legislation ‘paused’ after MPs reject Boris Johnson’s timetable – as it happened

Parliament votes to reject government’s timetable for passage of bill that would implement Brexit deal

That’s all from us this evening. Here’s a summary of the day’s events:

Related: MPs reject Boris Johnson's attempt to fast-track Brexit deal

If, as expected, Brexit is delayed until the end of January, a general election would have to follow, the Press Association reports, citing an unnamed No 10 source.

Parliament and Corbyn have repeatedly voted for delay. On Saturday, parliament asked for a delay until January and, today, parliament blew its last chance. If parliament’s delay is agreed by Brussels, then the only way the country can move on is with an election. This parliament is broken.

The public will have to choose whether they want to get Brexit done with Boris or whether they want to spend 2020 having two referendums on Brexit and Scotland with Corbyn.

No10 source tonight.

Three points.

1). Parliament hasn’t blown its last chance. The 31st deadline was set by Brussels. The PM has said it’s his final deadline but Brussels is open to an extension.

2). Benn Act was passed by MPs but PM sent the letter.

1/ pic.twitter.com/FywKxdufYM

Johnson is the author of his own misfortune. He only tried to bounce his deal through parliament because he knows it will not withstand scrutiny. A Brexit deal driven by the ideology of deregulation must be stopped.

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‘First London, then Brussels and Strasbourg’: Juncker on Brexit vote – video

Jean Claude-Juncker has spoken in the European parliament as his five-year term as president of the European commission comes to an end. He said Brexit had been 'a waste of time and a waste of energy' and that Brussels would be watching Westminster closely as it votes on a withdrawal agreement. Boris Johnson will make a final bid on Tuesday to force Brexit through by 31 October

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Harry Dunn death: police head to US to interview Anne Sacoolas

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, says there are ‘no barriers to justice being done’

Northamptonshire police have sent officers to the US to interview the woman who claimed diplomatic immunity following her alleged involvement in the death of Harry Dunn.

The 19-year-old died when his motorbike crashed into a car driven by the American Anne Sacoolas outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on 27 August.

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No filter: my week-long quest to break out of my political bubble

Websites such as OneSub, Nuzzera and AllSides hope to subvert political polarisation by offering news and views from beyond users’ usual sources. But is it that simple?

As strange as it may sound, above a Dorothy House charity shop in the shabbier end of central Bath, a handful of people are quietly trying to push the world – or at least a small part of it – away from the polarisation that currently defines politics, and towards something a bit more open and empathic. To compound the unlikeliness of it all, they are led by a man called Jim Morrison: not the reincarnated singer of the Doors, but the 40-year-old founder of a new online platform called OneSub, whose strapline is “Break the echo chamber”.

I have come to OneSub’s HQ as part of a week-long quest to push my reading habits and general soaking-up of information out of my usual left-inclined social media bubble, get some much-needed perspective, and try to use the internet as it was originally intended – not to confirm my prejudices, but to reintroduce me to the confounding, complicated, surprising realities of the world as it actually is.

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Lonely Planet names England the world’s second best tourist destination in 2020

Travel guide company says ‘timeless treasures’, seaside and historic buildings put country in second place, behind Bhutan

England has been named the world’s second best tourist destination in 2020 due to its “timeless treasures” by the guide book firm, Lonely Planet, behind Bhutan.

The list, featured in the Best in Travel 2020 book, was compiled based on “topicality, unique experiences and wow factor”.

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EU would agree to Brexit delay, says German minister

Merkel ally Peter Altmaier says ‘it goes without saying’ Brexit extension would be granted

Germany’s economic affairs minister has wholeheartedly backed the option of a Brexit extension beyond 31 October, as the European parliament pulled plans to hold a vote on Boris Johnson’s deal this week.

Peter Altmaier, a key ally of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said he believed a technical extension would be offered to allow extra time for legislation to pass or a longer period to accommodate a general election or second referendum.

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Paul Burrell and James Hewitt among latest phone-hacking cases

Dozens of celebrities join Prince Harry in new cases against Sun and Mirror publishers

Princess Diana’s former lover James Hewitt and her butler Paul Burrell are among dozens of individuals who have joined Prince Harry in the latest round of phone-hacking claims against tabloid newspaper publishers.

Hewitt and Burrell recently filed their cases against the publisher of the Daily Mirror at the high court, according to court filings seen by the Guardian, joining the Duke of Sussex in alleging the publisher intercepted their voicemails. Their claims will focus attention on the extent to which British newspapers targeted the royal family and those around them in the hunt for stories during the 2000s.

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Northern Ireland set to legalise abortion and same-sex marriage

Equality campaigners celebrate ahead of a midnight deadline for new laws to come into force

Northern Ireland is poised to legalise abortion and same-sex marriage after an 11th-hour attempt by the region’s assembly to block change collapsed into farce.

Equality campaigners celebrated on Monday as the clock ticked towards midnight when laws extending abortion and marriage rights were due to come into force, ushering in momentous social change as Northern Ireland aligned with the rest of the UK.

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Britain now G7’s biggest net importer of CO2 emissions per capita, says ONS

Fall in UK-produced emissions has been offset by those from increase in imported products

Britain has contributed to the global climate emergency by outsourcing its carbon emissions to developing nations, according to official figures, despite managing to weaken the domestic link between fossil fuels and economic growth.

The Office for National Statistics said the UK had become the biggest net importer of carbon dioxide emissions per capita in the G7 group of wealthy nations – outstripping the US and Japan – as a result of buying goods manufactured abroad.

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John Bercow denies Boris Johnson second vote on Brexit deal

Speaker rules it would be ‘repetitive and disorderly’ for MPs to vote again on deal

Boris Johnson has been denied the opportunity to hold a second vote on his Brexit deal in the House of Commons after the Speaker, John Bercow, ruled that it would be “repetitive and disorderly”.

Bercow said it would break longstanding conventions for MPs to debate and vote on the agreement struck in Brussels last week, little more than two days after Saturday’s historic sitting.

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